Duo heating pad

ABSTRACT

A heat pad for the lower abdomen and back portions of the human body is made up with front and rear heating pad sections, each of a durable pliant inner layer of electrical insulation, such as a synthetic rubber, capable of withstanding heat of the order of that commonly employed in heat pads, and a cover layer of a durable fabric such as nylon cloth having some resiliency. Each section has a top waistband portion of elastic webbing and a bottom leg band portion of the same material separate from the corresponding webbing of the other section. The inner layer of each section has a heating element secured therein and extended throughout the inner layer except for crotch portions along the lower part of the section. The two sections are permanently secured to each other for a short distance along one of their side edges and have cooperating snap fasteners along their other side edges ad along their bottom edges. Double sets of fasteners are provided at the bottom edges for adjustment. The heater elements have current supply cords individual to each element and embodying individual switches. A heat control device governs the current supply to both cords which are connected in parallel to each other across the main current supply cord.

United States Patent Forrest [54] DUO HEATING PAD [72] Inventor: WillieMae Forrest, 1115 N. 12th St., Boise, Idaho 83702 22 Filedi Feb. 9, 1970[21] Appl.No.: 9,532

[52] US. Cl. ..128/402, 219/211, 219/527 [51] Int. Cl. ..A6lf 7/00 [58]Field of Search ..128/402, 379, 386, 387, 399,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,507,321 4/1970 Palma..128/402 X 3,025,856 3/1962 Burwell et a1 128/288 3,292,628 12/1966Maxwell et al ..128/402 2,867,215 l/1959 Horton et a1 ..128/3992,494,987 1/ 1950 Chaitin ..128/379 2,842,655 7/ 1958 Schwebel ..128/5272,429,583 10/ l 947 Ogle ..1238/402 1,967,674 7/1934 Knapp ..128/402 X3,501,616 3/1970 Arron ..219/211 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 481,0615/1953 Italy ..219/527 102,075 1 H1916 Great Britain ..128/402 436,224l/l912 France ..128/402 [151 3,680,563 [4 1 Aug. 1, 1972 PrimaryExaminer-Kyle L. Howell Attorney-Wells, St. John & Roberts [57] ABSTRACTA heat pad for the lower abdomen and back portions of the human body ismade up with front and rear heating pad sections, each of a durablepliant inner layer of electrical insulation, such as a synthetic rubber,capable of withstanding heat of the order of that commonly employed inheat pads, and a cover layer of a durable fabric such as nylon clothhaving some resiliency. Each section has a top waistband portion ofelastic webbing and a bottom leg band portion of the same materialseparate from the corresponding webbing of the other section. The innerlayer of each section has a heating element secured therein and extendedthroughout the inner layer except for crotch portions along the lowerpart of the section. The two sections are permanently secured to eachother for a short distance along one of their side edges and havecooperating snap fasteners along their other side edges ad along theirbottom edges. Double sets of fasteners are provided at the bottom edgesfor adjustment. The heater elements have current supply cords individualto each element and embodying individual switches. A heat control devicegoverns the current supply to both cords which are connected in parallelto each other across the main current supply cord.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures DUO HEATING PAD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONwere not as similar to the present invention as those just mentioned.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION It is the purpose of the present invention toprovide a heat pad composed of front and back heating pad sections, eachhaving its own electrical heating element connected to a common supplycord for electric current through an individual switch, each sectionincluding elastic waist band and leg band portions, the sections beingsecured together adjacent to the supply cords so as to be handled as asingle garment and having separable fasteners along their free edges forsecuring them snugly about the lower part of the human body whereby tosupply heat under individual control to both the front and back lowerportions of the human trunk.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A preferred form of the invention is disclosed inthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a heating pad embodying my invention with thefront and back sections thereof secured together along the sides andbottom to provide a pants-shaped garment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the heating pad with the front and backsections separated along one side and at the bottom;

FIG. 3 is an inside view showing the front and back sections of theheating pad spread out and showing the arrangement of the heatingelements and their control switches and heat control unit; and

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings my invention is embodied in a heat pad 1which has a front heating pad section 2 in which a heating element 3 issecured within an inner layer 4 of electrical insulation that is quitepliant. The section 2 has an inner covering 5 and an outer covering 6 ofa durable resilient fabric which can be washed. This front section 2 isedged with an elastic webbing 7 along the top thereof. Similar elasticwebbing pieces 8 and 9 are provided along the bottom edges of thesection that are cut out to fit about the human let at the groin.

A rear heating pad section 12 is made up essentially like the frontsection 2 with its own heating element 13 within an inner layer 14 ofelectrical insulation. This section 12 has inner covering 15 and outercovering 16 of the same material as the coverings 5 and 6. Elasticwebbing pieces l7, l8 and 19 finish the top and bottom edges of thesection 12.

As shown in the drawings,: particularly FIG. 4, the resilient fabric ofthe front and rear pad sections has convex side edges that extenddownwardly and outwardly from the ends of the top edges of the sections.These convex edges meet the concave bottom edge portions that areprovided with the elastic webbing pieces 8, 9, 18 and 19. The middlebottom portions 20 and 12a carry the fasteners 27 and 38. The edges ofthese bottom portions complete the lower edge outlines of the respectiveheating pad sections.

The heating elements 3 and 13 have electric current supply cords 20 and21 supplying them with the electric current to develop the desired heatin the sections. A switch 22 controls the passage of current through theelement 3. A switch 23 controls the passage of current through theelement 13. The control unit and indicator unit 24 of the kind commonlyused in heating pads controls the amount of current supplied to theheating elements 3 and 13 which are connected in parallel across thecurrent supply at the unit 24.

The two sections 2 and 12 are shown as permanently joined at 25 so thatthey are handled as one garment. This permanent connection reduces thepossibility of depending upon the cords 20 and 21 to keep the sectionstogether and the resultant danger of destroying an electrical connectionto one or both sections. For fastening the sections together around thelower part of the human trunk, snap fasteners 26 are provided along thefree sides of the sections 2 and 12. Snap fasteners 27 are used toconnect the crotch portions 20 and 12a of the sections. Extra fasteners28 are also provided here to provide adjustment of the garment.

Having described my invention, I claim: I. A heating pad comprising: afront heating pad section having top and bottom edges and side edges andcomprising a heating element, a layer of pliant electrical insulationwithin which the heating element is located, an inner covering and anouter covering both of resilient fabric between which the layer issecured; the side edges of said section being convex and extendingdownwardly from the ends of the top edge; the bottom edge of saidsection comprising two concave edge portions extending toward each otherfrom the lower ends of the side edges, and a narrow middle bottom edgeportion joining the concave edge portions whereby said pad section isadapted to overlie the lower front portion of the human abdomen said padsection having fasteners thereon adjacent to its side edges and otherfasteners thereon adjacent to its middle bottom edge portion; rearheating pad section having top and bottom edges and side edges andcomprising a heating element, a layer of pliant electrical insulationwithin which the heating element is located, an inner covering and anouter covering both of resilient fabric between which the layer issecured; the side edges of said rear section being convex and extendingdownwardly from the ends of the top edge of said rear heating padsection;

the bottom edge of said rear heating pad section comprising two concaveedge portions extending toward each other from the lower ends of saidlast named side edges, and, a narrow middle bottom edge portion adaptedto engage with the fasteners of the front pad section whereby to securethe heating pad sections to each other at their middle bottom edgesections and around the human body; an electrical current supply cordleading from each heating element for connection to a source of electriccurrent; and a control switch in each cord.

1. A heating pad comprising: a front heating pad section having top andbottom edges and side edges and comprising a heating element, a layer ofpliant electrical insulation within which the heating element islocated, an inner covering and an outer covering both of resilientfabric between which the layer is secured; the side edges of saidsection being convex and extending downwardly from the ends of the topedge; the bottom edge of said section comprising two concave edgeportions extending toward each other from the lower ends of the sideedges, and a narrow middle bottom edge portion joining the concave edgeportions whereby said pad section is adapted to overlie the lower frontportion of the human abdomen said pad section having fasteners thereonadjacent to its side edges and other fasteners thereon adjacent to itsmiddle bottom edge portion; a rear heating pad section having top andbottom edges and side edges and comprising a heating element, a layer ofpliant electrical insulation within which the heating element islocated, an inner covering and an outer covering both of resilientfabric between which the layer is secured; the side edges of said rearsection being convex and extending downwardly from the ends of the topedge of said rear heating pad section; the bottom edge of said rearheating pad section comprising two concave edge portions extendingtoward each other from the lower ends of said last named side edges,and, a narrow middle bottom edge portion joining the last named concaveedge portions whereby said rear heating pad section is adapted tooverlie the lower back portion of the human body; the fabric of one sideedge of the rear heating pad section being affixed to the fabric of thefront heating pad section side edge; said rear heating pad sectionhaving fasteners along its side edges and adjacent to its middle bottomedge portion adapted to engage with the fasteners of the front padsection whereby to secure the heating pad sections to each other attheir middle bottom edge sections and around the human body; anelectrical current supply cord leading from each heating element forconnection to a source of electric current; and a control switch in eachcord.